Broody back to laying???

[Dixiedoodle]

I have a true Ameraucana hen, who was broody for almost 7 weeks and finally gave up. She was thin, her comb is completely white.... I had made her get off the nest twice a day to eat, drink and relieve herself.. Which she would gobble down the food, drink like crazy and then do her business and back to the nest box.. It's been 3 weeks, she is still thin but eating as normal and her comb is still white and she isn't laying. I am feeding them extra protein, she gets to free range for several hours ever day--up to 6hrs. How long will it be until she starts laying her beautiful blue eggs again...

 

[BWKatz]

With all the heat it may not be just recovering from being broody.

 

[Dixiedoodle]

I thought about the heat but all five of my brown egg layers are pumping out eggs almost every day.--So I wondered if it was still from being broody.. Thanks for the reply..

 

[will hunt for food]

The longer she was broody, no longer she will not lay. I try to break my hens ASAP. I can usually break a broody hen in 3 days. In doing so, I have gotten them to start laying in less than 10 days after I broke her.

 

[chicmom]

Hi Dixie...I have a BCM hen, and she took a good while...maybe three weeks to start laying again. She was broody for a couple of months! When she started up, it was just like she was a brand new layer....she produced some very thin shells and the eggs would just break.......but now she's back in business, and she's laying those beautiful dark brown eggs again.......

 

[chickenlady08]

Quote:
How do you break your broodies? How time consuming is it?

 

[will hunt for food]

Not time consuming, you just have to be as stubborn as the hen. I use a cage with food and water. NO BEDDING! You can suspend the cage or put it up on scrap lumber as long as the lumber is along the edge of the cage so the hen will not sit on the wood. She has to have the wire (air) under her. At night, I would let her roost with the rest of the hens. In the morning- back to the cage. Two or three day should do it, but I have gone as long as six days.

 

[chickenlady08]

Quote:
I have this one Delaware that I don't think is going to be a good Momma because she keeps pulling the babies out of the shell before they are ready to come out. She has been broody since June as well. I really need some help!!!!